Transportation Department Mandates English Proficiency for Cross-Border Mexican Railway Workers

A lack of proficiency in English creates ‘an unacceptable safety risk,’ the Transportation secretary said.

A CPKC locomotive is seen on a train at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City train yard in Mexico City, on Sept. 19, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is cracking down on cross-border train operators from Mexico who lack basic English language proficiency, in a bid to make rail operations safer in the United States, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a Dec. 19 statement.

This past fall, FRA inspectors conducted routine regulatory oversight of cross-border operations on Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC), finding that several inbound crew members faced difficulty when interpreting General Track Bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English.